Shock-absorbing cushion

ABSTRACT

Shock absorbing cushion structures are disclosed which are formed by upper and lower sheets peripherally sealed and formed to define a series of intercommunicating air chambers therebetween. In particular there is disclosed a shock absorbing shoe insole of this kind in which a flowable substance such as a medicinal or deodorant power is contained in the air chambers. The upper sheet is provided with an array of pinholes through which the flowable substance is released into a shoe by the application of pressure to the insole during walking. Also disclosed is a technique for making insoles in a range of sizes from a single molding.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/624,052, filed Mar.29, 1996 which was abandoned upon the filing hereof; which in turn is aContinuation of Ser. No. 08/205,631, filed Mar. 4, 1994, now abandoned;which in turn is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 08/004,500, filedJan. 14, 1993, now abandoned; which in turn is a Continuation of Ser.No. 07/484,827, filed Feb. 26, 1990 now abandoned. The contents of theprior applications are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to shock-absorbing cushions. Commonly usedshock-absorbing cushions are formed of air-cell cloth, foam plastic orrubber, etc., but they have the following defects in practical use.

1. The air-cell cloth is made of two sheets sealed together to pinch aplurality of independent air cells not communicating with one another,and each air cell is at atmospheric pressure which is unadjustable,having a constant shock-absorbing force so that it cannot be changed tocope with different objects.

2. The air cells contained in air-cell cloth are separately sealed tohave the same inner pressure as the exterior atmospheric pressure,having no inherent supporting force for pressure or shock. Therefore, ifthe air cell(s) should be broken and become flat with the air havingescaped, it (they) would have no supporting force for pressure or shock,and the cloth would become useless.

3. Every air cell in air-cell cloth is independent, and sealed to have aconstant pre-set pressure, unable to be changed by inflation to have awide adaptability.

4. Air-cell cloth has a flat shape, unable to be formed as a cubic shapehaving three dimensions.

5. The inner pressure of the air cells in air-cell cloth can not exceed1 atm (kg/cm2) or 14.7 psi, restricted by its manufacturing method of"vacuum absorbing formation" so that air-cell cloth is impossible tomake if the thickness or the hardness of the material surpasses acertain value, with the result that the supporting force of the air-cellcloth cannot be changed by the thickness, the hardness of the material,the shape or the size of the air cells.

6. Each air cell in air-cell cloth receives a different shock force whenstruck by an exterior object and the cloth is unable to disperse evenlythe shock force received mainly because the cells do not communicatewith one another.

7. A solid shock-absorbing cushion of foam plastic has a certainshock-absorbing force restricted by the property of the material so thatit can hardly be used for different occasions, objects or things.

8. As the shape of a solid shock-absorbing cushion is impossible tochange once made by a mold, it can hardly meet the necessity to protectthe object it is used for by conforming completely to the shape and thesize of the object.

9. U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,960 titled "Inflatable Body Support CushionParticularly to Support a Woman During Pregnancy" is a king ofair-cushion bed for a pregnant woman made of a moldable material, butdoes not have the function of flexibility or inherent supporting force,as can be seen on page 1, lines 50-51 in the patent specification.

10. U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,433 titled "Inflatable Articles and Method ofMaking Same" acquired by Magid, has a preventing function of deformingand extension of an inflatable article once inflated with air, but it ismade of pieces so that the articles have no inherent supporting force,as can be seen on page 1, lines 64-65 and page 6, lines 67-68 in thepatent specification.

11. U.S. Pat. No. 1,382,831 titled "Pneumatic Cushion" is a sealed bagmade of two sheets of material and said two sheets have thickened innersides such that the bag can hold the outer surface flat after it isinflated with air. But it can hardly be flexible and lacks verticalsupporting force against pressure.

12. U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,265 titled "Pneumatic Bed" acquired by Rogers isa bag made of two sheets sealed at the circumferential edge and a thirdsheet is additionally put between and connected with the two sheets sothat it can hold an extremely flat surface, but it has no flexibility orinherent supporting force against pressure or shock, as can be seen onpages 1-2, lines 49-52.

13. U.S. Pat. No. 2,372,218 titled "Pneumatic Mattress" is provided withvalves to inflate or deflate the mattress, but said pneumatic mattresshas no inherent supporting force against pressure and the inflatingvalves have a different structure and function from the flexible pump tobe disclosed herein.

14. U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,885 titled "Water Cushion and Method of Usingthe Same" acquired by Davis is a shock-absorbing bag filled with water,having no vertical supporting force against pressure.

15. U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,705 titled "Self-Contained Fluid Pressure FootSupport Device" is a bag sealed around the periphery of two sheets ofnon-elastic fabric and having a special section provided with roundhollow cells defined by hot sealing, said round hollow cells beinginserted by foot supporting cushions for supporting a foot. The cushionbody is originally flat and has no inherent supporting force againstpressure, as can be seen on page 7, lines 7-10. The so called supportingforce is caused by the foot supporting cushions. 16. U.S. Pat. No.2,677,906 titled "Cushioned Inner Sole for Shoes and Method of Makingthe Same" acquired by Reed is a shoe sole made of two sheets having theperiphery heat sealed and another sheet connected with the upper and thelower sheets so as to make up an inner shoe sole having a specially flatsurface. But the air cushion has little flexibility and air cellsindependent to one another, whereby it is impossible to disperse thepressure received evenly around the structure and the inflatingoperation is complicated as well.

17. U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,420 titled "Protective Baseball Batting Garment"acquired by Savarino is a protective jacket for baseball batting but thepadded sections are not provided with air cushions.

18. U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,000 titled "Patient Undersheet for PreventingBed Sores" acquired by Mager is a bed undersheet for a patient having asheet of air-cell cloth with a sheet of fabric mounted thereon. Theair-cell cloth has no structure or supporting force, nor does itsair-cells communicate with one another, so it cannot be developed tomake up a three-dimensional structure.

19. French Patent No. 540,623 is an air cushion made of two sheets ofmaterial sealed such that a plurality of independent air cells areformed therein, without any linking passages among the air cells. Theair cushion has little flexibility and each air cell does not have evenpressure.

20. Belgian Patent No. 645,151 is a shock-absorbing cushion made of twosheets of material with a water absorbing layer sandwiched between thetwo sheets, and the two sheets are provided with round recesses. It ismade of two flat sheets, devoid of potential supporting force againstpressure or shock, nor can it be inflated.

21. German Patent No. 807,010 titled "Soft Layer Baby Diaper" isprovided with an inflated air cushion attached to an inflating pump. Thecushion body is made of two sheets, devoid of inherent supporting forceagainst pressure of flexibility caused by the absence of communicatingpassages.

22. French Patent No. 1,118,087 is made of two sheets sealed togetherwith heat, and an extra two sheets are connected with said two sheets bymeans of round recesses, on which through holes are provided for airflow, so it lacks potential supporting force against shock or pressure.

23. U.S. Pat. No. 2,028,060 titled "Protector" 10 acquired by Gilbert isan inflatable sport protecting cushion made of a plurality of squarehollow tubes combined together and communicating with each other bymeans of connecting tubes. As it is provided with two sheets havingsquare grooves, the square tubes may be deformed after being inflated sothat the surface may not be flat enough.

24. U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,995 titled "Method for Manufacturing Soles withan Air Cushion" acquired by the same applicant as the presentapplication is a shoe sole having a structure of two sheets providedwith round recesses. Although it has an even pressure pervasion owing tothe communication air-cells, flexibility and an inherent supportingforce against pressure, it has a drawback that the smoothness of thesurface is not so good after being inflated because of the pendingsupporting force of the air cells.

The U.S., French, German and Belgian patents discussed above have commondrawbacks that they have little or no inherent supporting force againstpressure or shock, little flexibility, and can have an unsmooth surfaceafter being filled with air. Besides, they cannot be combined to make upan air cushion with a cubic structure to conform to a curved surface ofthe human body and to have an inherent shock-absorbing force, excellentflexibility and evenly pervasive pressure.

In view of the defects in conventional shock-absorbing cushions, thisapplicant has acquired U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,670,995 and 7,422,131, JapanesePatent No. 1,709,140, Korean Patent No. 35,963 and Australian Patent No.564,808 for an invention relating to an air cushion for a shoe sole. Nowthis applicant has further devised the present invention to furnish ashock-absorbing cushion that has the possibility of adjusting the innerpressure, flexibility in being adaptable to any hollow shape, thelargest shock-absorbing dimension, and an inherent supporting forceagainst pressure or shock. That is, this shock-absorbing cushion has inits hollow interior, a plurality of air cells communicating with oneanother, so that when inflated, air can flow here and there in theinterior, and an inherent shock-absorbing elasticity even if it isbroken. It can widely be applied to sports goods such as leg or shinguards, knee pads, shoulder pads, racket grips, football helmets, shoesoles, tools, seat cushions, and above have common drawbacks that theyhave little or no inherent supporting force against pressure or shock,little flexibility, and can have an unsmooth surface after being filledwith air. Besides, they cannot be combined to make up an air cushionwith a cubic structure to conform to a curved surface of the human bodyand to have an inherent shock-absorbing force, excellent flexibility andevenly pervasive pressure.

In view of the defects in conventional shock-absorbing cushions, thisapplicant has acquired U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,670,995 and 7,422,131, JapanesePatent No. 1,709,140, Korean Patent No. 35,963 and Australian Patent No.564,808 for an invention relating to an air cushion for a shoe sole. Nowthis applicant has further devised the present invention to furnish ashock-absorbing cushion that has the possibility of adjusting the innerpressure, flexibility in being adaptable to any hollow shape, thelargest shock-absorbing dimension, and an inherent supporting forceagainst pressure or shock. That is, this shock-absorbing cushion has inits hollow interior, a plurality of air cells communicating with oneanother, so that when inflated, air can flow here and there in theinterior, and an inherent shock-absorbing elasticity even if it isbroken. It can widely be applied to sports goods such as leg or shinguards, knee pads, shoulder pads, racket grips, football helmets, shoesoles, tools, seat cushions, and packing material, utilizing thefeatures just mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The shock-absorbing cushion according to the present invention comprisestwo sheets sealed together at the periphery to have a hollow interior.One of the two sheets, the upper or the lower, is flat, smooth andcompletely closed, i.e., it is continuous and has no recesses or otherdepressions formed therein but the other sheet, the lower or the upper,is provided with a plurality of recesses which may be holes and/orgrooves with vertical walls which may or may not link with said one ofthe sheets. If the vertical walls of the holes or the grooves do notlink with said one of the sheets, they have their bottoms separated fromsaid one of the sheets with gaps. The holes and/or the grooves can beplanted to be located all over the lower sheet, regularly orirregularly.

The vertical walls of the holes and/or the grooves pull both the sheetstogether, making up a cubic supporting structure of the shock-absorbingcushion, which has a hollow interior filled with air, a gas, a liquid ora semisolid material. Then the cubic supporting structure can have aninherent supporting force against pressure or shock.

If the vertical walls of the holes and/or the grooves are linked to saidone of the sheets, the shock-absorbing cushion can hardly swell up ordeform after being inflated with air or filled in with a liquid or asemi-solid material. But if said walls are not linked with said one ofthe sheets, the shock-absorbing cushion may swell up a little afterbeing inflated, as it has a freer hollow interior. The lengthwisecross-section of each recess can be triangular, square, round etc., andthe crosswise cross-section of the hole can be vertically ornon-vertically trapezoidal, triangular, square, etc. The groove can haveits lengthwise cross-section as a straight or curved line and itscrosswise cross-section as vertically or non-vertically trapezoidal,triangular, square, etc.

The grooves can also make the shock-absorbing cushion be provided with aplurality of independent air chambers and a tubal passage can beprovided between the grooves to communicate the given air chambers so asto furnish said cushion with a degree of flexibility for bending. An endslip can be respectively attached at both the lengthwise ends of theshock-absorbing cushion to glue, stick or sew together said cushionswhen applied to a racket grip, or the like.

The shock-absorbing cushion can additionally be provided with a hollowtube, which can be connected with an air valve, a one-way valve or aconnecting tube of another air cushion system. The shock-absorbingcushion in the present invention can be applied to sports goods such asa knee pad, a shoulder pad, a football helmet, a racket grip, a shoesole, a shoe tongue, a shoe counter, and packing material, and so on.The holes and/or the grooves can be combined together with a widevariety of combinations to suit to the objects that the shock-absorbingcushion is applied to.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan of a first example of a shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 1A--1A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a top plan of a second example of a shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2A--2A of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2B--2B of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a top plan of a third example of shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3A--3A of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3B--3B of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a top plan of a fourth example of shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4A--4A of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a top plan of a fifth example of shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5A--5A of FIG. 5.

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the fifth example applied to aracket grip.

FIG. 6 is a top plan of a sixth example of shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6A--6A of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6B--6B of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a seventh example of shock-absorbing cushionapplied to the upper section of a shoe counter.

FIG. 7A is a plan view of FIG. 7. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view online 7B--7B of FIG. 7.

FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view on line 7C--7C of FIG. 7.

FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view on line 7D--7D of FIG. 7.

FIG. 7E is a cross-sectional view on line 7E--7E on FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 is a front view of an eighth example of shock-absorbing cushionapplied to a shoe counter.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view on line 8A--8A of FIG. 8.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view on line 8B--8B of FIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a ninth example of shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view on line 9A--9A on FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a tenth example of shock-absorbing cushion inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view on line 10A--10A of FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an eleventh example of shock-absorbing cushionin accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view on line 11A--11A of FIG. 11.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a twelfth example of shock-absorbing cushionin accordance with the present 12 invention.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a thirteenth example of shock-absorbingcushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side view of a fourteenth example of shock-absorbingcushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a fifteenth example of shock-absorbingcushion applied to a racket grip.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a sixteenth example of shock-absorbingcushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a seventeenth example ofshock-absorbing cushion applied to a shoe tongue.

FIG. 18 is a perspective and partly cross-sectional view of aneighteenth example of shock-absorbing cushion applied to a helmet.

FIG. 19 is a perspective and partly cross-sectional view of a nineteenthexample of a shock-absorbing cushion applied to a knee pad.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of the twentieth example of the shock-absorbingcushion applied to a shoe sole (1).

FIG. 20A is a cross-sectional view on line 20A--20A of FIG. 20.

FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view on line 20B--20B of FIG. 20.

FIG. 20C is a cross-sectional view on line 20C--20C of FIG. 20.

FIG. 20D is a cross-sectional view on line 20D--20D of FIG. 20.

FIG. 20E is a cross-sectional view on line 20E--20E of FIG. 20.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a twenty-first example ofshock-absorbing cushion applied to the shoe sole (1) of FIG. 20 placedinside a shoe.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of a twenty-second example of shock-absorbingcushion applied to a shoe sole (2).

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a twenty-third example of a shock-absorbingcushion applied to a shoe sole (3).

FIG. 23A is a cross-sectional view on line 23A--23A of FIG. 23.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow tube combined with an airvalve in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of a hollow tube attached with ananti-burst tube in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a shoe sole (4) provided with ashock-absorbing cushion in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of an air valve 14 covered with ananti-dirt cap in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of a one-way valve attached with apump to be combined with a shock-absorbing cushion in accordance withthe present invention. FIG. 29 is a perspective view of ashock-absorbing cushion applied to a shoe tongue extending to the shoetip.

FIG. 30 is a plan view of another shock absorbing cushion according tothe invention in the form of a shoe insole similar to the one shown inFIG. 23.

FIG. 31 is a plan view of the shock absorbing cushion shown in 30 priorto a manufacturing step which trims the cushion to size.

FIG. 32 is a plan view of the cushion shown in FIG. 30 covered with afabric liner.

FIG. 33 is an enlarged plan view of a part of the cushion shown in FIG.30.

FIGS. 34, 34A and 34B are a plan view, an elevational view and asectional view on line 34B--34B, respectively, of another air cushioninsole.

FIGS. 35, 35A and 35B are a plan view, an elevational view and asectional view on line 35--35, respectively, still another air cushioninsole.

FIGS. 36 and 36A are respectively a plan view, part broken away, and asectional view on line 36--36 of yet another air cushion insole.

FIGS. 37, 37A and 37B are respectively a plan view, an elevational viewand a sectional view on line 37B--37B, respectively, of still anotherair cushion insole.

FIG. 37C is an enlarged view of the encircled area indicated by arrow Ain FIG. 37.

FIG. 37D is a sectional view on line 37D--37D of FIG. 37C.

FIG. 37E is an enlarged view of the encircled area indicated by arrow Bin FIG. 37.

FIG. 37F is a sectional view on line 37F--37F of FIG. 37E.

FIGS. 38 and 38A are a plan view and a sectional view on line 38A--38A,respectively, of another air cushion insole.

FIGS. 39 and 39A are sectional elevational views of a pump and valveassembly for air cushion insoles showing pumping and air-releasepositions, respectively.

FIGS. 39B and 39C are a sectional elevational view and a cross-sectionon line 39C--39C, respectively, of an alternative valve structure.

FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view through a shoe with an incorporatedair cushion insole according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

At first, referring to FIG. 1, the shock-absorbing cushion 1 is formedby injecting material into a hollows mold, to provide two sheets, oneupper and one lower, sealed at the periphery and a plurality of circularrecesses 11 with vertical walls which are formed in the lower sheet andthe circumferential vertical walls of said recesses are linked with theupper of said two sheets. The upper sheet is flat and continuous withoutany recesses. Therefore, the shock-absorbing cushion 1 has a hollowinterior provided with a plurality of round vertical walls surroundingsaid recesses, and naturally filled with air after said shock-absorbingcushion is formed. The vertical circumferential walls of the recesses 11can produce a certain inherent supporting force against pressure orshock so that the shock-absorbing cushion can have a inherent elasticityagainst pressure or shock. Besides, the walls of the recesses 1 make upa net-shaped structure pulling both the sheets together so that thewhole shock-absorbing cushion 1 may not be deformed to bulge up orshrink down by inflating or pressure. The position of the recesses 11can be regular or irregular and their shape can be triangular, square,round, oval or of any geometrical shape in plan view. The cross-sectionof the recesses 11 can be trapezoid, triangle, square, rectangle,vertical or non-vertical.

The second example shown in FIGS. 2, 2A and 2B comprises two sheetssealed at the periphery as the first example, and a plurality ofrecesses in the form of long straight grooves 12 in the lower sheet.Each groove is surrounded by vertical circumferential walls linking withthe upper one of the sheets and the grooves can be straight or curved inplan view and have a cross-section shaped as trapezoid, triangle,square, rectangle, vertical or non-vertical.

The third example shown in FIGS. 3, 3A and 3B comprises a plurality oflong straight grooves 12 in the lower sheet, which divide theshock-absorbing cushion 1 into a plurality of independent hollow airchambers. Then a plurality of tubal passages 121 are provided lengthwisefor each two neighboring air chambers. The positions of the grooves 12can be planned such that the shock-absorbing cushion 1 can bend. Thehollow spaces in the grooves 12 for closing or opening can give specialflexibility to the shock-absorbing cushion 1 without compressing itsmaterial in bending. It is evident that in this example, the verticalwalls of the grooves do not link with the upper sheet.

The fourth example shown in FIGS. 4 and 4A, comprises a plurality ofcircular recesses 11 and grooves 12 as the first and the second exampledo, but additionally at least a hollow tube 13 is attached for an airvalve, which may be a one-way valve for adjusting the inner pressure ofthe shock-absorbing cushion 1 or changing its filling contents.

The fifth example shown in FIGS. 5, 5A and 5B is a shock-absorbingcushion 1 applied to a racket grip, wherein a pre-set end slip 10 isrespectively provided at the crosswise ends so as to be glued or sewntogether after such cushion 1 envelopes a racket grip. Theshock-absorbing cushion 1 can comprise a plurality of the circularrecesses 11 and/or grooves 12. If the lower surface is glued on thesurface of the grip, the upper surface can give a smooth feeling to auser's hand. A pressure-adjusting component such as an air valve can beadditionally attached at the bottom or the two ends of the grip. Boththe end slips 10 are glued together with the upper surface to the uppersurface if the lower surface is glued on the grip, but the lower surfaceto the lower surface if the upper surface is glued on the grip.Nevertheless, the upper surface of said slip 10 can be glued with thelower surface according to the necessity or both the slips can beoverlapped.

The end slip 10 can be made on one side, two aides, the circumferentialedge, partly or intermittently for enveloping the shock-absorbingcushion 1 on an object according to different needs.

FIGS. 6, 6A and 6B show the shock-absorbing cushion 1 applied to a gripand the shock-absorbing cushion is provided with one end slip 10 havingthrough holes 101 for projecting pine 102 at the other end slip to stickin and to be fused together in linking both the end slips 10 after saidcushion is enveloped around the grip.

FIGS. 7, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 7E show a cushion 1 applied to the uppersection of a shoe counter and FIGS. 8, 8A and 8B show said cushion 1applied to the lower section of a shoe counter. In these examples, theshock-absorbing cushion 1 can comprise half-through holes 11 and grooves12 mixed such that said cushion 1 can have the curved surfacecorresponding to the shape of the object that said cushion 1 is appliedto, and can be fixed thereon with help of the end slips 10.

The shock-absorbing cushion 1, having the structure of flexible emptyspaces, can be made to become flat, curved cylindrical, arched,spherical or cubic.

The cushion 1 can be provided with a hollow tube 13 for an air valve, aone-way valve, as shown in FIG. 12, for a connecting tube 31 of anotherair cushion system 3. Also, said hollow tube 13 can be made to extendand contract in its length.

Said air cushion system 3 can be provided with an inlet valve 32 and anoutlet valve or a pressure-adjusting valve 33 as shown in FIG. 12 whensaid system 3 is to be connected with the hollow tube 13 of theshock-absorbing cushion 1. The shape of the air cushion system 3 can behollow and semi-spherical, square, or extensibly bellow-shaped. Thecrosswise cross-section of the connecting tube 31 can be round, squareor of any geometrical shape, and its lengthwise cross-section can be aslip, saw tooth, corrugated, square-teethed, trapezoidal or triangular.

The ninth example shown in FIGS. 9 and 9A is a shock-absorbing cushion 1comprising circular recesses 11 and grooves 12, and said recesses 11 andgrooves 12 are open at the upper sheet and closed at the bottoms and arenot linked with but separated from the lower sheet, in other words, thesurrounding walls of said recesses 11 and grooves 12 are connected withthe upper sheet but not with the lower sheet so that the shock-absorbingcushion 1 has a hollow interior freer to bulge outward, but stillpossesses a certain inherent supporting force against pressure which canbe received from the walls of said vertical holes 11 and grooves 12.

The tenth example shown in FIGS. 10 and 10A is a shock-absorbing cushion1 comprising a separate outer bag 2 completely surrounding said cushion1 for protection, and said outer bag 2 can be made of a materialtransparent, opaque, flexible, elastic, colored or uncolored, foamableor unfoamable. Besides, said outer bag 2 can have openings or not, andthe holes 1 and the grooves 12 can be empty or full after said outer bag2 is formed to surround said shock-absorbing cushion 1.

The thirteenth example shown in FIG. 13 is a shock-absorbing cushion 1having one sheet flat and closed and the other recessed at the placeswhere grooves 12 are positioned so that a sealed bag with cubicstructure is formed. The grooves 12 define more than one group of airchambers A and B. Said group(s) of air chambers each includes no lessthan one air chamber and each air chamber belonging to a group has aconnecting tube 121 to communicate the air chambers with each other sothat the sealed bag body includes more than one group of air chamberscommunicating with each other. The fourteenth example shown in FIG. 14includes two units of the shock-absorbing cushion 1 of the thirteenthexample connected together with at least one tubal passage 121 havingextending and bending flexibility. When one unit of said cushion 1 isbent to overlap the other, the grooves 12 may be made to have suchpositions as to become face to face, back to back, or not. Said flexibletubal shock-absorbing cushion 1 comprising a separate outer bag 2completely surrounding said cushion 1 for protection, and said outer bag2 can be made of a material transparent, opaque, flexible, elastic,colored or uncolored, foamable or unfoamable. Besides, said outer bag 2can have openings or not, and the holes 1 and the grooves 12 can beempty or full after said outer bag 2 is formed to surround saidshock-absorbing cushion 1.

The thirteenth example shown in FIG. 13 is a shock-absorbing cushion 1having one sheet flat and closed and the other recessed at the placeswhere grooves 12 are positioned so that a sealed bag with cubicstructure is formed. The grooves 12 define more than one group of airchambers A and B. Said group(s) of air chambers each includes no lessthan one air chamber and each air chamber belonging to a group has aconnecting tube 121 to communicate the air chambers with each other sothat the sealed bag body includes more than one group of air chamberscommunicating with each other. The fourteenth example shown in FIG. 14includes two units of the shock-absorbing cushion 1 of the thirteenthexample connected together with at least one tubal passage 121 havingextending and bending flexibility. When one unit of said cushion 1 isbent to overlap the other, the grooves 12 may be made to have suchpositions as to become face to face, back to back, or not. Said flexibletubal passage 121 may be a hollow tube having extensible flexibility ofmay be bellows-shaped.

FIGS. 15-19 show the shock-absorbing cushion 1 applied to differentuses. In cases when the circular recesses and the grooves 12 link theupper and the lower sheets by their vertical walls, they have theiropenings extending from one of the upper or the lower sheet. The othersheet which is totally flat or closed, i.e. without the recesses 11 orthe grooves 12 can be provided with apertures 110 or 10 120 as shown inFIG. 4 and FIG. 13.

If a removable inner shoe sole is made to comprise the shock-absorbingcushion 1, said cushion 1 can be made to be inflatable or automaticallyinflatable or sealed completely.

FIGS. 20, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D and 20E show said shoe sole (5) comprisingthe shock-absorbing cushion 1 being inflatable, having an upper sheetwith a flat smooth upper surface of excellent stability, and a lowersheet with grooves 12 whose vertical walls link with the inner surfaceof the upper sheet. The grooves 12 divide the shoe sole 5 into aplurality of small air chambers 51 of round, triangular, square or anyother shape. Each air chamber 51 has a square cross-section such thatsaid chamber 51 can be communicated with each other by a tubal passageformed through the vertical wall surrounding each groove 12 so that theair or liquid in each air chamber can communicate with each other sothat the shock or pressure the shoe sole receives can be spread all overthe air chambers. Besides, the shoe sole 5 has a group of small circularair chambers 52 having the same center at the thumb and the heel sectionso as to give fine stability to the thumb and the heel by means of thegood radial flexibility and the fine symmetry of both groups of airchambers 52. Said small air chambers 52 are separated by the verticalwalls of the grooves 12 and communicate with each with the tubal passage121. The shoe sole 5 also has the right and the left middle sections tothe heel section provided with lengthwise grooves 12 so as to giveflexibility to these sections so that the rear part of the shoe can bebent up. The air chambers 51 at the outer edge of the heel can be madein two ways. One way is, as shown in FIG. 20, an independent air chamber53 not communicating with the other chambers 51, does not need to bebent up when the sole 5 is put in a rather large size of a shoe, stillhaving a certain inherent supporting force to absorb pressure or shock,and can be cut off to enable the rear end to bend up when the sole 5 isput in a small shoe.

The other way is shown in FIGS. 23 and 23A, wherein the two curvedgroups of the air chambers 51 are provided, abutting on the circulargroups of air chambers 52 along the heel edge, and the grooves 12 areset at both sheets. Besides, the air chambers 51 are connected andcommunicate with each other and with a tubal passage 121 so that thewhole group of air chambers function as an extensible tube because ofthe empty spaces of the grooves, which is to shrink when the heel isbent up.

The removable inner shoe sole 5 can be provided with a hollow tube 54 atany air chamber 51 at the inner middle section and said hollow tube 54has its cross-section shaped corrugated or saw-toothed as shown in FIG.24, provided with several rounds of circumferential grooves 541 tocombine with an inflating valve 55 to increase preventing force againstleakage from both 54 and 55. The inflating valve also has no less thanone circumferential ridge 55 to engage with the groove 541 to make theinflating valve 55 not fall off the tube 54, and thereby accidentalpulling said valve 55 off the tube 54 can be prevented. Besides, ananti-burst tube 54 can be additionally augmented around the tube 54 asshown in FIG. 25.

The material for the removable inner shoe sole 5 can be (1)polyurethane, which is resistant to air penetration but easily permeatedby water vapor or (2) one that can be permeated by both air and watervapor. In the shoe sole 5 the material 1 is used in, the water vaporwill enter the shoe sole 5 when the pressure of the water vapor in theshoe coming from the sweat of a foot becomes larger than that in theshoe sole 5. As the pressure in the shoe sole 5 increases, for example,to about 25 psi, greater than that of the interior of the shoe, 14.7psi, the vapor in the shoe sole 5 will form drops to be stored therein.After the shoe is taken off by a user, the water vapor in the shoe sole5 will gradually percolate out in the open air until all the water vapordisappears. The fine vapor absorbing property is tantamount to a sweatabsorbing effect, so the shoe sole 5 has the function of preventing footodor. Said effect can not only be proved by the information from thematerial factory, but also by practical use of the shoe sole 5 in ashoe. It is proved that the shoe sole 5 taken out of the shoe afterbeing worn for a day or 4-5 hours were found to contain water drops butsaid water drops automatically evaporated out of the sole 5 in time.

If the material 2 is used in the shoe sole 5, the hollow interior of theshoe sole 5 can be filled with air, water, other gas or liquid havingthe property of heat-preserving or cooling to give the shoe the effectof preserving warmth or coolness.

FIG. 22 shows an automatic inflating removable inner shoe sole 5provided with an inlet valve 56 and an outlet valve 57 communicatingwith the interior at the thumb section. Therefore, this shoe sole 5 cansuck air into the interior through said valve 56 and exhaust the airfrom the interior through said valve 57 by walking or running actionfunction to a foot sole by means of the openings of the grooves 12 andrecesses 11. Besides, this removable shoe to press the shoe down on theground and to release it from the ground. Then, this shoe sole 5 notonly has its inherent supporting force against shock or pressure, butalso the function to circulate the air around in its interior to theexterior when the user walks wearing the shoes.

The hollow interior of the shoe sole provided with the shock-absorbingcushion 1 can be totally sealed as shown in FIG. 26 to make the innerpressure equal to the atmospheric pressure based on the principleP1V1=P2V2=NRT. Then this shoe sole can possess the shock-absorbingelasticity produced by compressed dimension of the air in the interiorwhen it receives pressure or shock.

As the shoe sole 5 can be provided with the shock absorbing cushion 1comprising the vertical grooves 12 or recesses 11 communicating with oneanother such that the sole 5 has a similar function as a pump tocirculate the air in the grooves 12 or recesses 11 by means of shrinkingand recovering action of the sole 5.

If the shoe sole 5 is provided with the flat smooth upper surface andthe lower surface with the openings of the grooves 12 or recesses 11, itis to be put in a shoe with the upper surface up for exercise and withthe lower surface up for health, as said lower surface has a massagefunction to a foot sole by means of the openings of the grooves 12 andrecesses 11. Besides, this removable shoe sole 5 can be applied to anyshoe.

In addition, if the removable shoe sole 5 is provided with a soft rubberair valve 55 shown in FIG. 27, the air valve 55 can be covered with ananti-dirt cap 552 having a through hole 553 communicating with a needlehole 550 in the valve 55 with lubricating oil stored therein so that anair needle has to go through the lubricating oil before it goes throughthe cut 551 in the air valve, without harming the cut 551 to the resultof air leakage.

The shoe sole 5 comprising this shock-absorbing cushion 1 describedabove has the following features and effects.

FIGS. 30 to 33 show a shock absorbing cushion again in the form of aninsole 5 for a shoe or other footwear having a like structure to theinsole shown in FIG. 23 insofar as the insole is molded to provide aflat upper sheet and a lower recessed sheet, with the sheets sealedalong the peripheral edge and the recesses in the lower sheet defining aseries of internal air chambers 51, 52, for example, interconnected bytubular passages 121. An inflation valve 55, as previously disclosed, isagain provided.

In this embodiment, the interior chambers of the air cushion are filledwith a flowable substance, indicated by stippling, and which maycomprises a powder, a liquid, or a gas. Fragrant or medicated, e.g.,anti-fungal, substances may be used. The flowable substance may, forexample, be introduced through the inflation valve, such as by a syringeand needle, so that the cushion can also be refilled. Alternatively, andif no inflation valve is provided, the flowable substance can beintroduced when the air cushion is molded.

The purpose of the flowable substance is for circulation through auser's shoe; for example for medicinal treatment or deodorizingpurposes. To this end, the upper sheet of the air cushion is provided,in selected areas, with pin holes 140 for release of the flowablesubstance by a pumping action produced by alternating pressureapplication to the cushion by a user's heel and toes during walking. Inorder to optimize the pumping effect, the location and density of thepin holes may be varied throughout the area of the shoe cushion. Thus,the pin holes may have maximum density in the arch area of the cushionand minimum density, or even a complete absence of pin holes in the heeland toe areas.

As shown in FIG. 32, the upper surface of the cushion may be coveredwith an adherent layer of porous and absorptive fabric 142 as commonlyused for insoles and which allows passage of the flowable substance.

FIG. 31 illustrates a technique whereby a molded cushion structureaccording to the invention can be adapted to make different size shoeinsoles to fit in different size shoes. Initially, the shoe cushion ismolded, as previously described with a separate air chamber 144 or 146at the toe end or heel end respectively, or at each end. The separateair chambers 144, 146 do not communicate internally with the remainingair chambers 51, 52. The cushion with the entire air chamber 144 or 146(or both) in tact is sized to fit the largest shoe size or a range. Forsmaller sizes varying amounts of the toe and/or heel chambers,represented by the dotted lines, can be cut away and peripherally sealedat the factory. Alternatively, the largest size cushion can be suppliedto customers and the dotted lines can represent sealed and perforatedcut-away or tear-away portions, whereby the customer can select therequired cushion size and remove the relevant amount of the chambers144, 146. While only a single dotted line is shown in the drawings foreach chamber, there may be multiple tear-away portions to fit differentshoe sizes. Clearly, in this system, the cushion shown in FIGS. 30 and32 represents the smallest shoe size in the range wherein chambers 144and 146 have been removed in their entirety. This sizing technique isalso applicable to the preceding embodiments which do not incorporate aflowable substance in the air cushion, and to other insole structures.

FIGS. 34-34B show another air cushion insole 150 formed of a flat lowersheet 151 and a dimpled upper sheet 152 which are again sealed aroundthe periphery. The sheets define on the top surface of the air cushionhemispherical internal air chambers 161 connected by tubular sections162 and flattened areas or depressions 163 between the air chambers. Thebottom of the cushion is flat. The air cushion can be used in a shoewith either surface facing upwards and when the dimpled surface facesupward, it provides an enhanced massaging effect to the foot. Amodification is shown in FIG. 40 where both surfaces of insole 164 aredimpled.

In either case, powdered material can be spread on the flattened areas163 or 165 between the air chambers for sterilization, deodorization ordehumidification. The depressions can in either case be perforated withpunctures 166 (FIG. 40) to enhance air circulation. Because thehemisphers provide spaced contact points with a wearers foot, withdecreasing and increasing pressure points during walking, aircirculation is enhanced and the plastic insole can be used without afabric cover.

FIGS. 35-35B show an insole 165 similar to insole 150 but showing anarea 166 which has been entirely removed (and sealed around theperiphery), for example, to receive and protect a wound in the foot.

FIGS. 36 and 36A show a similar insole 167 formed from a flat lowersheet 168 and a dimpled upper sheet 169 wherein the air chambers 170 arehexagonally shaped rather than hemispherical.

FIGS. 37-37F show another similar air cushion insole 171 in which thearea under the ball of the foot has spherical air chambers 172 formed byhemispherical dimples in both the top and bottom sheets. As previously,the chamber are interconnected by tubular ducts and in this case, theinsole includes unidirectional air inlet and outlet valves 173, 174 toimprove air circulation around a wearers foot by a pumping action causedby walking whereby air is drawn into the air chambers through valve 173and expelled through valve 174. The valves are one-way flap-valvestructures molded integrally with the upper and lower sheets.

FIGS. 38 and 38A show yet another similar air cushion insole 175 whereina cluster of the interconnected air chambers 176 in a heel pad region ofthe insole are disposed in an arched circle. There is an opening 177 inthe top of the central air chamber 178 and the cushion includes aunidirectional outlet valve 179 towards the toe. When downward pressureis applied to the arched region by the users heel, opening 177 is closedand air is forced out of the cushion through valve 179. When the usersheel is raised, opening 177 is released so that air can be drawn intothe cushion. The tendency with this arrangement is for fresh outside airto be drawn in and be circulated around the users foot.

FIGS. 39 and 39A show a simple form of pump and release valve structurefor air cushions as previously described. Thus, air cushion 180 has atubular stem 181 communicating with the interior and in which isinserted a one-way inlet valve 182 of bladder-type which is closed bythe pressure of air within the cushion. A longitudinally moveable tube183 with a central flange has one end inserted in stem 181 and itsopposite end inserted in a balloon-type expandable-contractable pump184. the pump has an air inlet pinhole 185 at its apex. When the aircushion is to be inflated, tube 183 is moved outwardly of stem 181 as inFIG. 39. Then alternately squeezing pump 184, with pinhole 185 coveredand releasing the pump, causes air to be pumped through valve 182 anddrawn in through pinhole 185. To release air from the cushion, tube 183is moved inwardly (FIG. 39A) to force valve 182 open and allow air toescape through pinhole 185.

FIGS. 39B and 39C show an alternative type of inlet and release valvemechanism having a movable valve 186 with a valve stem 187 having across bar which is pushed open by tube 183 when air is to be releasedfrom the cushion.

I claim:
 1. An insole suitable for use in different size articles offootwear the insole including an arcuate removable portion locatedaround at least one of a toe end and a heel end of the insole to enablethe length of the insole to be decreased by removal of said portion, theinsole including upper and lower sheets adhered together peripherallyand defining therebetween shock-absorbing air chamber means wherein saidremovable portion is sealed from the air chamber means, wherein the airchamber means comprises a plurality of intercommunicating air chambersand the removable portion comprises a separate arcuate air chambersealed from said plurality of chambers, the insole with said air chamberattached defining the shape of a larger one of said articles offootwear, the insole with said air chamber removed defining the shape ofa smaller one of said articles of footwear.
 2. An insole for an articleof footwear comprising upper and lower sheets peripherally sealedtogether and defining therebetween shock-absorbing air chamber means andwherein portions of said sheets are extended at least at one of a heelend and a toe end of the insole to provide a removable portion of theinsole selectively sized to fit an article of footwear of a selectedlength wherein said portion of the insole comprises an air arcuatechamber sealed from said air chamber means the insole with said arcuateair chamber attached defining the shape of a larger article of footwearand with said arcuate air chamber removed defining the shape of asmaller article of footwear.
 3. An insole as claimed in claim 2 whereinthe air chamber means comprises a plurality of intercommunicating airchambers.